Digital Commons Network^™

Virtual Visitation: Promoting Social Occupations In Dementia Care, Carly Spina, Lizann Jovanovich, Ashley Jones, Pamela Baraceros, Rena Ribeiro

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Approximately two thirds of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) residents in the United States have some form of cognitive impairment such as dementia (Gaugler, et.al, 2014). Care practices in SNFs highlighting safety and therapeutic exercises may further isolate and decrease social opportunities, which can contribute to sensory deprivation in this population and result in lower quality of life (Haigh & Mytton, 2015; Nakamae et al., 2014). COVID-19 visitation restrictions, as well as ongoing barriers of geographical distance, present additional challenges when seeking to engage PLwD residing in SNFs in meaningful social occupations.

Reminiscence has potential to remediate effects of isolation and …

Rethinking Sacrifice And Atonement: A Contextual, Exegetical, And Historical Analysis Of Leviticus 16, Ladye Rachel Howell

Harding School of Theology Dissertations and Theses

No abstract provided.

..., Claire Alfonso

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Words are fickle, easily misunderstood, and often put us at a loss... but we all have so much we feel we need to express. This begs the question: Is there any safe way of communication? Can anything ever really be communicated how you mean it? Will you ever see the reflection of what you feel, think, and dream outside of yourself? In response to this existential dilemma, I imagine an alternative language of images, sounds, color, feelings, and non-identification. My thesis is a meditation on the issues with standard language and the idea of alternative language. In my argument I …

A Survey To Highlight Areas Of Focus For Patient Care In Settings Utilizing Medical Interpretation, Azayzel Deregis

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis recounts my personal experience working as a volunteer medical interpreter for the Language and Culture Resource Center at East Tennessee State University. The result of my time spent volunteering as a medical interpreter, shadowing professional medical interpreters, and witnessing patient-provider interactions during interpreted sessions was an inspiration to study medical interpretation further and delve into the challenges faced by patients who require medical interpreters. During my time researching this topic, I found that the United States is severely lacking in Spanish medical interpreters—with some healthcare facilities employing no medical interpreters—even though the size of the Hispanic population is …

“Strict Moderation?” The Impact Of Increased Moderation On Parler Content And User Behavior, Nihal Kumarswamy

Computer Science and Engineering Theses - Archive

Social media platforms have brought people from different backgrounds, ethnicity, race, gender, etc together to form a platform to share ideas and opinions and discuss news events among other social events. Unfortunately, these platforms have also been a safe haven for abusive users who harass, bully other users or spread misinformation and disinformation. Social media platforms have a huge incentive to police these abusive users and keep them in check to allow other genuine users to use their platform. Social media platforms employ several different content moderation techniques to perform this task. These techniques vary across platforms, for example, Parler …

Making Selves As We Make Scholars: The Many Uses Of Life Writing In College English, Lindsey Rose Gendke

English Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation addresses the perennial question, for both new and more seasoned English professors, “What should we teach in English?” In composition, “What types of writing should we teach?” And in literature, “what literature, and which authors, should we read?” In the current age where teachers are concerned with promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, perhaps these questions are more relevant than ever. Thus, employing Wayne Booth’s rhetorical stance as my theoretical frame, I inquire 1) what are the most pressing needs of traditional-age college students, and 2) what theories and teaching strategies uncovered in recent English studies have the potential …

Parental Involvement And Satisfaction: A Comparative Study Of High-School Charter Schools And Traditional Public Schools, Nicholas Thompson-Davis

Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this study is to examine parents’ levels of satisfaction with school choice by comparing charter and traditional public schools at the secondary level. The main assumption of the study is that parental satisfaction with school choice is related to parental involvement with children’s education and their views of school-home communication. The study is guided by Bourdieu’s theory of capital to interpret parental involvement efforts and their assessment of school-home communication as ways to acquire social capital for themselves and their children. Epstein’s framework of parental involvement allows for operationalizing the concept with respect to school and out-of-school …

Pandemic Pedagogy: A Case Study Of Commenting Practices In A Pandemic, Nicholas G. Nicklin

English Theses - Archive

This thesis reviews best practices for commenting on student submission and reports the findings of a case study from the 2020 spring semester.

Untangling Right From Wrong In Insanity Law: Of Dogs, Wolves & God, Kate E. Bloch

UC Law Journal

In almost all U.S. jurisdictions, a qualifying mental illness that prevents an accused from distinguishing right from wrong can provide support for a determination of legal insanity. Nonetheless, “wrongfulness” remains a term of myriad and somewhat elusive meanings. Instead of enhancing clarity, by engaging with simplified examples, the U.S. Supreme Court’s broad-brush approach in its 2020 majority and dissenting opinions in Kahler v. Kansas threatens to exacerbate confusion about “wrongfulness” in legal insanity doctrine. This Article surfaces challenges in the Court’s and dissent’s analyses and aims to discourage reliance on problematic assumptions about “wrongfulness” in insanity law.

The Garden Of Secrets And Truths, Chloe Martin

Departmental Honors & Graduate Capstone Projects

This essay, entitled “The Garden of Secrets and Truths,” was written for ENGL 470C-01, Seminar in Creative Writing: Nonfiction, with Professor Colin Rafferty. This piece consists of excerpts from Frances Hodgson Burnett’s The Secret Garden coupled with nonfiction flash essays about life, growing up, and ambition. This essay was born from the “Public Domain” challenge in this course which prompted students to take a work of literature that is within the Public Domain and use it as a springboard to tell their original nonfiction story or stories. It follows a sort of call-and-response pattern where a quote from The Secret …

Race, Gender, And Socioeconomic Status Predicting Reading Achievement For Arkansas Delta Students In Grades 6-8, Cedric E. Hawkins

College of Education Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation was to determine the predictive effects of race, gender, and SES on reading achievement for sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade students in the Arkansas Delta. A quantitative, regression strategy was used to analyze the data. Predictor variables for each hypothesis were race, gender, and SES. The criterion variable was reading achievement for Grades 6, 7, and 8. The sample included 450 individual students from three participating schools located in the Arkansas Delta. The results were analyzed by examining the combination of predictor variables. Also, each predictor variable was examined individually to ascertain how much the predictor …

An Analysis Of Suicide Coercion, Melissa Yvonne Horton

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This paper aims to define and understand the linguistic mechanisms behind incidents of suicide coercion. This is accomplished through case studies where there are sufficient records of the incidents that can give insight into the language the perpetrators used. Using well-established research on coercion in a general sense, this paper adjusts those ideas to specifically describe suicide coercion. To do this, quotes from each incident are broken down using speech-act theory to study the effect of the words on the listener, the perlocutionary acts of the perpetrator. This approach shows promising applications including legislating effective laws that target suicide coercion.

Mental Health In Historically Black Communities: The Role Of Local Non-Profits, Cindy N. Ledat

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

This study examined the role that local non-profit organizations play in bridging the gap to mental healthcare services in historically Black communities. With a focus on the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas, Texas, semi-structured interviews were gathered from participants working for local non-profit organizations, specifically those that connect the community to mental health services. Utilizing a phenomenological approach to qualitative analysis, the key themes that emerged were those of combatting shame, building trust, and engaging with community stakeholders. Additionally, there were themes of helplessness in the face of systemic barriers as well as empathy towards a participant’s cultural community. Though …

Social Media As A Tool For Education And Awareness Of Mental Health, Mikaela Neubauer

2022 Spring Honors Capstone Projects - Archive

With the growing levels of awareness and discussion of mental health on social media, online social platforms provide a unique and powerful opportunity to reach people. Are social media campaigns effective avenues and tools for circulating educational mental health content and advertising mental health resources? This project uses content analysis to determine the efficacy of a social media campaign regarding mental health. The campaign was designed based off research on the target audience and other previously successful social media campaigns and run for the therapy platform Atlas Health Group Inc. This study found that women ages 21-32 are mostly likely …

A Cross-Cultural Trek Of Nomadism Through Metaphoric Criticism, Gabrielle Wilkosz

All Theses

How has the worldwide phenomenon of nomadism—present day, recent past, and ancient past—been characterized through metaphor by writers, orators, and auteurs? Using metaphoric criticism, I show how the rhetoric of twenty-first-century "van-lifers" builds on a long global history of displacement that ranges from Central Asia to Malaysia to the Grand Canyon. This project’s three case studies span two decades each, comprising the Kitan people of Central Asia (1207-1227); Bukat people of Borneo in Malaysia (1930-1950), and contemporary "van-lifers" of the US (2001-21). This MA thesis parses a newfound connection between the language of nomadism and Burkean “truth”; the language of …

The Latina Experience: Ethnic Markers & Identity Building At An Hispanic Serving Institution, Tatiana Marie Rivera

Sociology & Anthropology Theses - Archive

This study addresses the identity reconstruction process and ethnic marker development of 2nd generation Latina undergraduates attending a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). A qualitative study consisting of 12 individual interviews and a focus group consisting of two new respondents and two old ones (N=14) were conducted virtually to understand how identity was reconstructed, and which ethnic markers this new generation uses to identify other Latinx. To understand the identity reconstruction process and ethnic marker identification, borderlands theory with a focus on the mestiza consciousness was employed. Results show that not all Latinas reconstruct their identity once they start attending an …

Disorienting Object Oriented Ontology: Queer Landscapes And Ecological Bodies In Richard Siken And Harryette Mullen., Andrew N. Hutto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on a recent development within the study of metaphysics, known as object oriented ontology (OOO), and works out questions of being alongside contemporary poetry. Recognizing the post anthropocentric purchase afforded by OOO’s claim that everything is an object and that these objects are impossible to correlate with, this thesis will look at the use of objects in Richard Siken’s War of the Foxes and Harryette Mullen’s Recyclopedia. Drawing heavily from Sara Ahmed’s queer theory of disoriented objects and Timothy Morton’s ecological insights, this thesis will argue that despite OOO’s advancement, there are critical gaps to fill in …

A Convention To Save America, Andrew Todd Looker, Jr.

Masters Theses

Article V of the United States Constitution articulates the methods for amending the Constitution. Amendments are formally recommended by either a two-thirds vote of both Houses of Congress or by a vote of two-thirds of the state legislatures. This latter method is known as a Convention of States. Despite its inclusion in Article V, no amendment has yet been proposed for ratification by such a convention. This research aims to explain the history of Article V, the process for an Article V Convention, the current efforts to call such a convention, and amendments that should be considered at this convention. …

Revisiting The Future: The Future Indicative And Perfective Aspect In Johannine Literature, Casey Lou Price

Masters Theses

As Greek aspectual studies continue to develop, there remains a significant gap in research on the future as it pertains to aspect. The nature of the future indicative is debated, especially as to whether or not it conveys aspectual value. Using Buist Fanning’s premise that aspect and Aktionsart interact to produce predicable outcomes, Mark O’Brien has shown that future STATIVE verbs consistently create an ingressive meaning that mirrors that of STATIVE verbs in the aorist tense. He has used this to demonstrate that the aorist and future share the same aspect-Aktionsart interactions and that they therefore both communicate perfective aspect. …

Bias As A Worldview Engine, The Terminus A Quo Of The Problem Of Evil, Eric Spencer Mccrickard

Masters Theses

Evidential evil is an encompassing title for moral evil, natural disasters, disease, famine, divorce, suffering, or other calamities in life that yield dissatisfaction or discernable discomfort. This area of evidential evil is the focus of this paper generally, including the argument posed by William Rowe from evidential evil and contemporary treatments offered by Bruce Russell. The argumentation is God’s nonexistence from the platform, or derivative of no greater good observed or known, of the justification or allowance of evil. It is not a refutation of the premises, per se, but instead, the biases associated with them are de facto statements …

Optimizing Ed Staff Utilization Of Phone And Video Interpreter Services, Zachary Bopp, Anh Nguyen, Alexander Kleinmann, Md

Health Equity and Quality Improvement (HEQI) Summit

Project AIM: Evaluate the effectiveness of a modified training module on the use of LIS in a hospital setting in improving ED staff care for LEP patients.

Constraining Criminal Laws, F. Andrew Hessick, Carissa Byrne Hessick

Minnesota Law Review Vols. 106:2 onward (2021-present)

Most criminal law is statutory. Although the violation of criminal statutes can result in significantly more serious consequences than violations of other types of statutes, the dominant theories of statutory interpretation do not distinguish between criminal statutes and non-criminal statutes. Those theories say that, when interpreting statutes, courts should always be faithful agents aiming to implement the will of the legislature, and that task does not change depending on whether the statute is criminal. This Article shows that treating the interpretation of criminal statutes the same way as other statutes is a major departure from the past. Historically, courts did …

Lack Of Affirmative Consent: Trauma In Jhumpa Lahiri’S “Interpreter Of Maladies”, Ansalee Morrison

English (MA) Theses

Most scholars who have published analyses of the title story of Jhumpa Lahiri’s 1999 Pulitzer Prize-winning short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies, read Mina Das’s character as a woman who chose to be unfaithful to her husband with a friend who once stayed in their home, resulting in the conception of her second son, Bobby. This general consensus is likely influenced by how Mr. Kapasi, the story’s narrator and the tour guide in whom Mina confides her story, concludes that the “pain” Mina complains of is actually “guilt” (Lahiri 63). The work of Tzuhsiu Beryl Chiu, however, stands out …

Spaces Of The Tragic: Modern Dramatic Tragedy And Contemporary Memorial Design, Shiloh Bemis

Architecture Undergraduate Honors Theses

Humans use narrative to understand the world around us. At early ages we are exposed to storytelling with variable intent, from cautionary tales to the inspirational and everything in between. The dialectic strength of narrative mediums is well-known and well-studied. Theatre is one of the world’s oldest enduring forms of storytelling and has a strong ability to reflect and adapt with cultures as they develop, as a means of commentary and cultural reflection.

Architecture shares theatre’s ancient roots and has always been an important method of communication and expression. However, its tactics have historically been less narrative-centric than theatre and …

Chilling Effects And Unequal Subjects: A Response To Jonathon Penney's Understanding Chilling Effects, Karen Levy

Minnesota Law Review Headnotes, Vols. 94-106 (2009-2022)

No abstract provided.

Machine Learning Methods For Statistical Analysis And Representation Learning On Neuroimaging Data, Fan Yang

Computer Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

With the recent advance and widespread adoption of imaging technological innovations, clinical practitioner and scientists can easily acquire and store a large amount of various neuroimaging modalities, such as Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET), etc. These novel imaging data sources cover a rich amount of factors that influence patients' cognitive health, offer an objective view of patients at unprecedented multi-resolution for the understanding of brain structure and function, and have the significant potential to improve healthcare by aiding better decision-making in diagnosing, monitoring and treating diseases. Machine Learning …

The Frames And Tactics Of The Women's Representation Movement, Desiree Alvarez

Sociology & Anthropology Theses - Archive

Studies of social movements have yet to examine the modern women’s political representation movement, a social movement industry made up of nonprofit organizations, foundations, activist groups, and political action committees aiming to create gender parity within U.S. political systems. Using in-depth interviews with fifteen leaders of organizations within the women’s representation movement, this study reveals multi-faceted dynamics at play when tactics and frames are developed within organizations of this social movement industry. Findings reveal that frame and tactical development are influenced by several key factors, such as: cohort collaboration, funders, an established hierarchy of old versus new social movement organizations …

The Impact Of Study Abroad As It Relates To Business Students' Career Paths, Madison M. Burgett

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

Business schools in the United States are continuously working to provide students with real-world experiences which will help them discern, and prepare for, their future careers. As globalization continues to increase the interconnectedness of the world, and of the companies within it, it is increasingly important that business students are globally aware and culturally competent. The aim of this study is to demonstrate that studying abroad enables business students to discern and prepare for their future careers. To demonstrate this, students and graduates of Butler University’s Lacy School of Business, with graduation years between 2012 and 2022, were surveyed. Those …

An Empirical And Theoretical Analysis Of Leadership In Two Egalitarian Horticultural Societies, Edmond Seabright

Anthropology ETDs

Leadership is a central subject of interest in anthropology and the evolutionary social sciences more generally because of its ubiquity in human societies as well as its role in the evolution of cooperation, social complexity, and social hierarchy. Explaining the variation in the form and functions of leadership across different societies and settings remains a major challenge for social scientists. Although it is often associated with social hierarchy, here I argue that leadership can and does evolve even in egalitarian settings where leaders cannot hope to fully make up the burdens and expenses associated with their service. I further show …

Reducing Medication Non-Adherence With Improved Health Literacy Interventions: An Evidence-Based Practice Quality Improvement Project, Unity Wiles

DNP Projects

Introduction

Health literacy is the ability to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate healthcare decisions and follow instructions for treatment. Patients with low health literacy have been predicted to have poor health outcomes. The inclusion of the single-item literacy tool into the admission process of this project involved the patient-centered-care characteristics of improved patient experience, lower health cost, improved clinical experience, and better outcomes.

Purpose

The National Action Plan to improve Health Literacy seeks to engage organizations, professionals, policymakers, communities, individuals, and families in a linked multi-sector effort to improve health literacy. Low …